Fine Print

Ever were so bored you started exploring weird things? Thanks to that, I bring you today's revelation against banks and their loaning antics.

I was on bus 74 when I saw the the print ad for StanChart's... something or the other. Smack in the centre of the poster was 6.50%p.a.*. Notice that asterix there?

Having been oft warned by my parents (mostly mother) of unscrupulous bank practices in their global quest to bankrupt you, I was interested (given the circumstances of my boredom) to find out what the fine print said. Now the 6.50 was slightly below my eye level, and when I bent to look at the fine print, I actually winced from my back hurting slightly. That's how low it was.

What matters to me, as far as this post is concerned, isn't the content. They sure make things rather clear in the fine print. The thing is the font size proportion.

Taking the figure 6, I tried to estimate and calculate its area. I didn't have a ruler with me (and I mean not even in my bag. If it was in my bag I would have pulled it out to measure, fuck the stares). I tried to imagine unrolling the 6, (7cm), and it's width looked like 1cm.

The first letter of the fine print however, F, I estimated to be 0.5x0.25cm.

Meaning? Meaning that in the figure 6 alone, you can stuff in almost 60 of those Fs.
Tell me now, I was squinting a little at the fine print. How are middle-aged people whom these ads are targeted at going to read it? Or bother reading it?

Ah but then, that's the plan isn't it? ;)